


what they desire most

by Temmie_Loony (Artemis_Luna)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Gen, Mirror of Erised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 16:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15343851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Luna/pseuds/Temmie_Loony
Summary: If they could look into the Mirror of Erised, what would they see?





	what they desire most

**Author's Note:**

> to those unfamiliar with Harry Potter, the Mirror of Erised is a magic mirror that shows one's greatest desires.

Harry Wells: he sees his wife and daughter next to him, big smiles on their faces as his wife gives him a kiss on the cheek. His hand flies to where the kiss had been left but he has to remember that the reflection before him is nothing more than just... magic and wishful thinking.

Jesse Wells: she sees herself in her superhero costume with the public around her, cheering her on. She's a resident of Earth-2, who's already had a horrible past reconciling with metahumans, particularly speedsters. So her world turns their back on her and wishes for her to leave because they don't need another Flash to take their hope away. (That's why she insists on the name Jesse Quick instead.)

Wally West: he sees himself with his mom, dad, sister and adoptive brother. His mother succumbed to her illness when he was barely seventeen. He didn't grow up with his father and siblings; his mother hadn't even made their existence known to him until it was too late.

Iris West: she sees herself with Eddie Thawne and a ring on her left ring finger. He shot himself in order to destroy his lineage, which meant Eobard Thawne — otherwise known as the infamous Reverse Flash — won't have to exist, won't have to further screw up her brother's life and, consequently, the rest of theirs. Eddie Thawne went down in history as a mentally unstable man, but to her and everyone else who knows the gravity of his sacrifice, he went down a hero.

Joe West: he sees himself with Cecile by his side, holding a little wriggling baby. He's old and so is Cecile, already at that point in their careers where retirement isn't too far ahead. Once upon a time, he'd thought Francine was the one for him but, when she left him for her damned addiction, it was clear she wasn't. He'd spent a good amount of time wallowing in this belief that he didn't need to love any more people other than his two beautiful kids. But then Cecile happened, and then the pregnancy happened. Only time will tell what life has in store for little Jenna West.

Ralph Dibny: he sees himself with the rest of the STAR Labs crew. For years, he's always hated that rookie Allen guy for getting him fired from the one job he knew he could do best. But then, five years later, fate brings Barry Allen back into his life, and along with him came friends and his redemption. Five years since his termination, he forgives Barry, forgives himself and, ever since then, he's been having the best night's sleep.

Cisco Ramon: he sees himself with Barry and Caitlin. He honestly thought he'd see his late older brother, but he doesn't. He's seeing his two best friends in the whole multiverse; the two people he'd die for, he'd kill for, he'd forgive time and time again because they have each other's backs, and that's really all he needs, especially in their line of work.

Caitlin Snow: she sees herself, split: Caitlin and Killer Frost. She's just Caitlin Snow, but ever since the emergence of Killer Frost, she's long accepted the fact that Killer Frost is here to stay. And if she's being honest with herself, she wouldn't have it any other way: Killer Frost can help save the day with the Flash, Vibe and the Elongated Man while Caitlin Snow can heal them all back up when they're done for the day.

Barry Allen: he sees himself with Iris, Joe, Wally, Cisco, Caitlin, Ralph, Jesse, and Harry. He's had a tragic past, but he's burned that bridge behind him. His life is nowhere near perfect but at least he's surrounded by an arsenal of loved ones who all care about him fiercely. 

* * *

Thea Queen: she sees her brother, her mother, her father... and her other father. Robert Queen had never loved her any less and still treated her like the little princess she was, up until his untimely demise on the damned boat that cost her five years without her brother. Her mother hadn't been perfect but she did her best. She hated Malcolm with all she's got — the man did more than just manipulate her — but... she misses him.

Sara Lance: she sees her father and her sister, alive. She'd been the first one to die. Then she was brought back to life. Then her sister went down. Then her father went down. And now she's the last Lance left standing.

Roy Harper: he sees himself with Thea. He's had an awful past and crooked history of thievery. Thea Queen, rich brat that she is, comes into his life when he stole her purse because he needed money to put food on the table that night. From being a charity case to something more, he saw her less as a rich brat and more as... a girl, who's more than her brother's reputation, more than her daddy issues and more than her money. She's just a girl he found worth fighting for.

John Diggle: he sees himself with Lyla, Baby John... and Baby Sara. Ever since he'd been made aware that Barry had gone back in time, causing a ripple effect that affected far beyond just Central City, he'd been dreaming of his little girl he'll never get to know now... never get to hold.

Felicity Smoak: she sees herself the way she is now. Before meeting Oliver Queen, she'd just been this really smart girl who graduated from MIT before her twenties. And before that, she was just a nerd who often didn't have a filter. Now she's someone with a backbone and a cause to help her city not get blown to smithereens just because some whackjob of the week decides to have some fun.

Oliver Queen: he sees himself as the hero he is now, albeit without that haunted look in his eyes that he's had since Lian Yu. Had he never gone into that yacht with his father, he fears the man he would have been. He just knows he would have been exactly the kind of man he puts arrows into and he's glad he's had that beaten out of him. 

* * *

Lena Luthor: she sees herself with her adoptive brother, who looks back at her with the kind of brotherly pride he once had for her. But then, of course. he had to go crazy and obsess over Superman. She misses the kind of kinship she had with Lex when they were kids, but she supposes she can never have that again.

James Olsen: he sees himself as the Guardian. He'd once been known as James "Jimmy" Olsen, the fool photographer who followed Superman around and the best friend that shadowed behind Clark Kent's greatness. He's grateful for the man — he wouldn't ask for a better friend to have his back — but being the Guardian gives him something that isn't about Clark or Superman or anyone else other than himself.

Winn Schott Jr.: he sees himself at the DEO with his kick-ass best friend, Kara. Just a couple years ago, he was that loser programmer working for Cat Grant, hopelessly in love with her assistant, Kara Danvers. Now he's not that loser. He's exactly where he needs to be and what he needs to be doing. He still loves Kara, but not like that anymore. (He's found someone new.)

J'onn J'onzz: he sees himself in his true form. In the decades he's spend masquerading as human Hank Henshaw, he's grown to be appreciative of his mortality. He sees past people barriers in their minds and he's seen every form of vulnerability. He doesn't have much of that, vulnerability. All he wants is to be proud of who he is, of  _what_  he is. But he can't; in a world full of humans, he's just an alien refugee.

Alex Danvers: she sees herself with Maggie. They broke off their engagement because they had a difference of opinion. But once upon a time ago, they were madly in love. She doesn't admit it to Kara (J'onn probably knows but he doesn't say it) but she still holds on to that mad love she had for Maggie because... Maggie had been her first  _real_  love. How does one let go of that so easily?

Kara Danvers: she sees herself with her sister and a tub of ice cream. Krypton had been her home, but she left it when she was twelve. Earth is her home now; it's where she had to build herself from the ground up and find her own people. And she did; with the help of Superman, she found it in the place of the Danvers. Alex is her sister through and through, and she doesn't let the difference in their species tell her otherwise. Oh and the ice cream? She's just really craving for some right now.

"What flavor?" Alex says, bumping her elbow against her side.

"Dunno, anything," Kara replies. She takes one last look at the mirror before taking her leave.

**Author's Note:**

> The Flash has more characters because I watch and follow the Flash more religiously. I haven't moved past season two of Arrow (but I really wanna pick it up again 'cause it's summer). I've only seen a couple episodes of Supergirl (but I'm gonna start watching it soon 'cause summer). And I've just flat out never seen Legends (but I WILL WATCH IT 'CAUSE RAY, ZARI AND SARA).
> 
> thank you again, and feel free to leave a comment and/or a kudos. they either build me up as a writer or give me butterflies.


End file.
